On the road and at home, it's always about food and fun!
Author: Jane Simon Ammeson
Jane Simon Ammeson is a freelance writer who specializes in travel, food and personalities. She writes frequently for The Times of Northwest Indiana, Mexico Connect, Long Weekends magazine, Edible Michiana, Lakeland Boating, Food Wine Travel magazine , Lee Publications, and the Herald Palladium where she writes a weekly food column. Her TouchScreenTravels include Indiana's Best. She also writes a weekly book review column for The Times of Northwest Indiana as well as food and travel, has authored 16 books including Lincoln Road Trip: The Back-road Guide to America's Favorite President, a winner of the Lowell Thomas Journalism Award in Travel Books, Third Place and also a Finalist for the 2019 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards in the Travel category. Her latest books are America's Femme Fatale: The Story of Serial Killer Belle Gunness and Classic Restaurants of Northwest Indiana.
Her other books include How to Murder Your Wealthy Lovers and Get Away with It, A Jazz Age Murder in Northwest Indiana and Murders That Made Headlines: Crimes of Indiana, all historic true crime as well Hauntings of the Underground Railroad: Ghosts of the Midwest, Brown County, Indiana and East Chicago. Jane’s base camp is Stevensville, Michigan on the shores of Lake Michigan. Follow Jane at facebook.com/janesimonammeson; twitter.com/hpammeson; https://twitter.com/janeammeson1; twitter.com/travelfoodin, instagram.com/janeammeson/ and on her travel and food blog janeammeson.com and book blog: shelflife.blog/
Lust, who teaches Italian at Dartmouth University in New Hampshire and also cooking classes, grew up in an Italian-American family, learning to cook from her mother and grandmother whose recipes were written by hand on little notecards. Wanting to discover and delve into Italian cuisine because of its meaning to her, she learned to speak Italian and traveled through the country of her ancestors.
“I wanted to see and feel the connections to the traditions and geography of the regions,” says Lust, whose previous book, Pass the Polenta: and Other Writings from the Kitchen, was praised by Frances Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan Sun and Julia Child.
Going deep, she visits relatives and meets the people of the regions’ small towns, going into their kitchens to watch as they prepare food. It’s a constant learning process about the intricacies not only of the broad regional cookery of Italy that many of us are familiar with—that of Florence, Naples, or Sicily but of such places as Maremma, an area in western central Italy bordering the Tyrrhenian Sea and Le Marche, a region sandwiched between the Adriatic Sea and the Apennine Mountains.
“Italian food is very regional, and even in the regions its broken down by cities, and then gets smaller and smaller until each dish is an expression of oneself and it can be an affront and violation if others add ingredients or make changes,” she says. “There’s an integrity to the dish.”
It’s not the way we think of food here. Indeed, to me a recipe is to be altered by ingredients I have on hand so the idea of not changing is a thoughtful concept, one that I will think about. But then again, I’m not making family recipes dating back centuries and besides, old habits die hard.
In Camerano, a town in Le Marche, an 80-year-old woman shows Lust how to hand-roll pasta with a three-foot rolling pin. In Manciano, she masters making Schiacciata All’Uva, a grape flatbread with honey and rosemary that back home in New Hampshire takes her two days to complete.
But, Lust says, you only spend a few minutes in active work as if it were as easy as popping a frozen dinner into a microwave.
Intrigued by the food philosophy of the people she cooks with, she goes beyond recipe and its ingredients to their history and what they represent.
“Acquacotta—such a beautiful word and beautiful dish–but then you find out what it really means–cooked water and that it was born out of poverty made by people who had nothing,” Lust tells me when we chat on the phone.
In her description, acquacotta is a rustic soup that nourished generations of the area’s shepherds and cowhands. It’s her way of adding poetry to food and to people who take such pride in what they cook.
Lust includes recipes in her book, but this is not a glossy cookbook, but rather a lovely and thoughtful journey of rediscovering roots and meaning.
The two of us discuss growing up with ethnic relatives and how important the culture of the table was for us when young. It does seem to be something that is missing from our daily lives and Lust is hoping to reconnect people to food and help them see the importance of taking the time to bring friends and family to the table to enjoy a meal.
In the cooking classes she teaches she demonstrates how to make Italian food and encourages participants to talk to her in Italian. She feels that she is helping forge an important connection that way.
“I have people contact me through the website who said they tried the gnocchi and though they never thought they could make it, they found it was easy for them,” she says with a touch of pride.
On Valentine’s Day in 1923, Harry Diamond, a dashing bootlegger who was a real lady killer, decided that since his rich wife had signed a new will leaving her fortune totally to him, it was time to get rid of her. In a sort of Deadman’s land between Gary and East Chicago, he ordered his chauffeur to check the tires, then shot his wife five times at close range and shot the chauffer as well. Nettie played dead, the chauffeur ran away, and as soon as Harry carried her body into the drugstore she owned, she looked him in the eye and said “You killed me, Harry.”
Nettie in one of the drugstores she owned. A pharmacist, she was one of only seven women to graduate out of a class of 800 or so from Columbia University’s School of Pharmacy.
I recounted the story of this murder that took place in my hometown in my true crime book A Jazz Age Murder in Northwest Indiana. The woman, Nettie Diamond, was a much married pharmacist and businesswoman and her husband (her fifth and last) was a bootlegger and speak easy owned named Harry Diamond. He was like 23 and she was 42.
I was signing copies of my book after a presentation when one of the people who had attended asked me how I had gone from writing about food to writing about murder. I still write about food but the short answer was that my mother had dated Nettie’s son when they both were attending Indiana University way back when and she had told me about their romance–and the murder– shortly before she died. I had known Nettie’s son, whose name was changed from Herskovitz to Hurst as he was my elementary school principal. Anyway, this is turning out not to be such a short answer, but I became fascinated by the case which is so perfectly 1920s and when I was asked about segueing from food to murder, I started asking myself, well…what would have Nettie and Harry eaten?
Below are some recipes that were popular in the 1920s. So who knows? Maybe Nettie would have had her cook (yes, she had one) whip up some of these dishes. As for the drinks, this was Prohibition after all, and I’m guessing that Harry would have served some of his bootlegged rye whiskey. The Journeyman Distillery in Three Oaks, Michigan happens to be making a classic rye whiskey and kindly shared a recipe with us.
Steak houses were big. Instead of using the word oven broiled instead of grilled which doesn’t sound very good at all. But it’s the same concept. Think Jazz Age clothing, lots of cigarette smoke, ice clinking in cocktail glasses, banquettes, and Cole Porter music when making this steak dish using Omaha steaks—as that company was already in business.
Steak Au Poivre
2 (10- to 12- ounce) filets mignons (or substitute your favorite cut such as bavette, rib eye, skirt, porter house, flat iron, or New York strip), at least 1½ inches thick
“Pat the steaks dry with paper towels and liberally season all sides with salt. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and set aside for 1 hour at room temperature. When ready to cook the steaks, heat a large cast- iron skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium- high and pour in 2 tablespoons of the avocado oil. Heat until oil is shimmering and carefully place the steaks in the skillet.
“Cook, flipping the steaks every 60 seconds, until the internal temperature registers 130° to 135°F on an instant- read thermometer, about 8 minutes. Remove the steaks from the pan and transfer them to a wire rack to rest for 10 minutes. While the steaks rest, wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel, then place it over medium heat. Pour in the remaining 1 tablespoon avocado oil, then add the shallot. Cook, stirring, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced by about half, about 2 minutes.
“Add the stock, green peppercorns, thyme, and a pinch of black pep-per. Cook until the sauce has reduced again by half, about 4 minutes. Fold in the ghee and stir until it has melted. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper as desired. Slice the steaks against the grain and arrange them on a serving platter. Spoon the green peppercorn sauce over the top and serve.
Photograph by Penny De Los Santos-Diabetic cookbook, Author Amgela Medearis
“People are eating African American food every day, but they don’t know it,” Angela Shelf Medearis says to me when we chat on the phone. In part, she’s talking about James Hemings who, in the complicated way of slavery, trained in the culinary arts in Paris and became a noted chef de cuisine and yet lived most of his life enslaved. Hemings either created or introduced a variety of the foods we eat now such as macaroni and cheese, ice cream, French fries, meringues, crème brulée, and French-style whipped cream. Another dish he created that we don’t eat regularly if at all is his handwritten recipe for snow eggs–soft, poached meringue, set in puddles of crème anglaise.
Hemings was the son of Sally Hemings, an enslaved woman and John Wayles, the man who “owned” her. The two had six children together. Wayles also had a more traditional family and his daughter Martha married a plantation owner named Thomas Jefferson. Thus, James was the half-brother of Martha Jefferson who “inherited” James (that’s so creepy I even hate writing it) when Wayles died. James was eight when they all came to live at Monticello. His youngest sister, Sally was just an infant. To make matters even more complex, after Martha died and Sally reached some type of maturity—she was probably in her mid-teens, she became Jefferson’s mistress and had six children by him, four of whom lived to adulthood.
So, Sally Hemmings was Martha Jefferson’s half-sister, and her children were half-siblings to Martha and Thomas’s children. I mention all this not only to show how helpless enslaved people were as to what happened to their bodies but also to show how intertwined Black and White families were and how the foodways of both merged.
But while Hemings introduced the Frenchified cookery to America,
Medearis, the founder of Diva Productions, Inc., the organization that produces her multicultural children’s books, cookbooks, videos, and audiocassettes, points out that people weren’t eating black-eyed peas before Africans arrive in this country.
“Back then they even thought tomatoes were poisonous,” she says. “But when they shipped slaves, they also shipped the foods they ate with them because that was a cheap way to feed them,” she says. “The recipes for those foods traveled from one place to the other. If they stopped in the Caribbean or South America before coming here, then the recipes changed with the foods and spices available and the types of cooking techniques.”
“I only cooked enough that social services wouldn’t come and take away my children,” she says with a laugh. But her mother, after she retired, decided she wanted to market her raisin pie for some extra income.
While her mother and sister did the cooking, Medearis who often wears feather boas during her TV appearances and on her PBS cooking show and isn’t shy about being in the limelight, did the marketing.
But when her mother and sister decided to quit, Medearis knew she had to learn to cook if she wanted to keep her food business going.
Now she’s so full force that celebrity chef and restauranteur Bobby Flay arrived for a Jerk Chicken Throwdown while she was marinating jerk chicken for a family get. It was for his Food Network show Throwdown with Bobby Flay.
Who won I ask?
Medearis’s Jerk Chicken
“My chicken had been marinating for hours,” Medearis replies. “He just arrived from Manhattan and threw some spices on his chicken. It burned. I beat Bobby.”
Though she originally didn’t cook Medearis had written several loved historic research. Did I know that George Washington Carver drove a food wagon around to introduce people to healthy foods?
No. I knew that Carver, who famously said, “There is probably no subject more important than the study of food,” was born a slave and became a botanist, author, educator and agriculturalist. He also collaborated with auto magnate Henry Ford on growing peanuts and soybeans.
And don’t even get her started on Carver and black-eyed peas.
“Black-eyed peas, okra, peanuts and sesame seeds, and the oil they produce, are documented contributions from Africa via the slave trade to our American cuisine,” she writes in her syndicated column. “I prepared black-eyed peas any number of ways while doing research for my first cookbook.”
That would be The African-American Kitchen: Cooking from Our Heritage, a best seller that even now 30 years later is considered a standard on the foodways African Americans bought to this country. The problem though was getting it published. Her award winning children’s books were published by Dutton and when she brought the idea for her cookbook, she found an editor there who loved the book. But the editor at the next level turned it down, saying he’d published an African American cookbook almost 30 years earlier and no one bought it. He didn’t think the country was ready for another.
What’s a Kitchen Diva to do? Make a peach pie, of course, as it’s representative of both Black and Southern food history.
“You could hardly get a peach pie anywhere back then in Manhattan,” says Medearis. Wrapping up both the peach pie and the manuscript, separately we presume, she sent both off to the publishing company.
She got the contract.
“That book sold so many copies it was crazy,”
Overall, she’s written 107 books seven of which seven are cookbooks. Published in seven languages, she’s sold a total of 14 million books. But despite that, she’s not ready to stop.
“People ask me when I’m going to retire,” says Medearis who lives in Austin, Texas. “Why should I? I’m having a lot of fun with it. I’m doing what I want to do.”
Creole Chicken Stew
Makes 8 Servings
“This is a quick and healthy version of New Orleans-style gumbo,” writes Medearis about this recipe, which was published in her book, the . “Using frozen vegetables is a real time-saver when making this tasty stew; it’s also the perfect way to use kohlrabi when in season. Select small, tender okra pods for this recipe, and don’t slice them until right before you add them to the stew.”
1½ tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1 cup coarsely chopped carrots
¼ cup chopped celery
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons diced seeded jalapeño chile
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch-wide strips
1 cup peeled cubed Yukon Gold potatoes or kohlrabi, or a combination
1 cup diced zucchini
1 cup halved okra or frozen cut okra
4 cups cooked brown rice
2 green onions, chopped, including green parts
In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the yellow onions, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaf, jalapeño, salt, pepper, and thyme and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to a plate, leaving as much oil in the pot as possible. Add the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil. Stir in the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until the flour begins to turn golden brown, about 3 minutes.
Gradually whisk in the broth and cook for another 5 minutes, whisking until smooth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the chicken, potatoes or kohlrabi, and zucchini. Return the sautéed vegetables to the pan. Partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 30 minutes.
Add the okra and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Serve over ½ cup of rice per person and sprinkle with the green onions.
Kitchen Diva: Tap Your Inner Chef With DIY Recipes
Angea Medearis, the Kitchen Diva, wrote one of her syndicated columns on creating Do-It-Yourself recipes.
“Basically, a DIY dinner recipe is about finding a way to retain the flavors of the recipes you love while using the ingredients that you have on hand,” Medearis writes. “If you have always wanted to free yourself from the restraints of a recipe, now is the time to do it! Think of the current lack of ingredients as permission to tap into your inner chef.”
To ease into creating your own DIY dinner recipes, Medearis suggests starting by making a pot of chowder.
“No one really knows the origin of the term chowder,” she writes, “but whether it came from French, Caribbean, Portuguese or Brazilian cooks, the basic meaning is connected to the large pot that the meal is cooked in.”
Medearis is a history buff paritcularly when it comes to food.
“Chowders were introduced to North America by immigrants from France and England more than 250 years ago. Native Americans called the dish ‘chawder’.” she says noting the word interpreted as “chowder” by early settlers and fishermen in New England.
“The original versions of the dish consisted of a pot filled with a mixture of fresh fish, salt pork, leftover hardened biscuits (which were used as a thickener), onions, water and whatever spices were available, writes Medearis. “A chowder is a delicious way to use the ingredients you have on hand to create a meal that does not require extensive prep or simmering for hours. My recipe for Seafood and Sweet Corn Chowder uses the basic techniques.”
My recipe for Seafood and Sweet Corn Chowder uses the basic techniques for making a chowder, but is designed to accommodate the need to vary ingredients based upon what you have on hand or what you can purchase at the store.
Whether you decide to make a seafood or vegetarian chowder, feel free to create your own version of this DIY dinner.
SEAFOOD AND SWEET CORN CHOWDER
If you don’t have all the vegetables, seafood or spices on hand, omit or substitute the ingredient with what you do have. This chowder will still be delicious without it!
3 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
1/2 cup (about l large stalk) chopped celery
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced or 1/2 tablespoon granulated garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon dried dill or tarragon, or 1 tablespoon dill pickle juice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes
2 cups chicken broth, seafood stock, clam juice, bouillon fish base or water
1 to 2 large Russet potatoes, or 3 red skin or Yukon Gold potatoes cut into 2-inch cubes, about 2 to 3 cups
2 large carrots, chopped
2 cups frozen corn, thawed, or 1 (15-ounce) can whole kernel or cream-style corn, or 6 ears sweet corn, husk and silk removed, or frozen corn on the cob, thawed with kernels cut from the cobb
2 cups heavy cream, half and half
Whole milk or 2 (14-ounce) cans evaporated milk
1 3/4 to 2 cups fully cooked, skinless salmon chunks, or 1 can (14 3/4 ounces) salmon, drained, flaked, bones and skin removed, or 1 to 2 cups fresh or frozen peeled and deveined shrimp, cooked peeled and deveined shrimp, or cooked crab meat (checked for pieces of shell) or a combination of the seafood equaling 1 3/4 to 2 cups.
1. Place the butter or oil into a large saucepan or Dutch oven placed over medium heat. Add in the celery, onion, green bell pepper, garlic or garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and pepper, dill, tarragon or dill pickle juice, and the cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes. Saute, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 4 to 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the broth, stock, juice or water, potatoes, carrots and the remaining teaspoon of he salt and pepper. Cover and bring the chowder to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to low; stir the mixture, cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until the vegetables are nearly tender. Stir in the corn, cream or milk, and the salmon, shrimp or cooked crab meat (or a combination of seafood). Simmer on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through.
4. Garnish with lemon wedges, chopped parsley or green onions. Serve with toasted French bread or crackers. Serves 6
Here’s the Jerk Chicken recipe that won the Throwdown with Bobby Flay.
Combine the oil and vinegar in a medium glass bowl. Stir in the orange and lime juice, molasses, soy sauce, cilantro, green onions, garlic, chili, bay leaves, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, sage,thyme, allspice, pepper, and nutmeg.
Place the chicken pieces in a large baking pan and pour the spice mixture over them, coating each piece well. Cover with plastic wrap and place the chicken in the refrigerator to marinate 12 hours or overnight, turning once.
Allow the chicken pieces to come to room temperature before grilling. Heat the grill until the coals are somewhat white with ash; the flame should be low. Place the chicken on the grill and cover with the lid. Grill for 30 to 35 minutes, turning pieces to cook evenly. Baste pieces with remaining marinade.
National Moscow Mule Day (March 3rd) is rapidly approaching and what better way to celebrate than with Q Mixers, a fantastic brand that elevates your drinks with premium mixers!
No matter the season, this refreshing vodka-based drink is perfect year-round. A vintage cocktail dating back to Los Angeles in 1941, it achieves the perfect balance between spicy, sweet, and bold. Adding to its appeal is that its often served in a classic copper mug. How cool is that?
The Q Mixers website features cocktail recipes for the traditional Moscow mule and also shares how to add some variety to your mule with Light Ginger Beer or for a sweeter, more floral mule, with Hibiscus Ginger Beer.
How It Began
Drinking gin and tonics with his friends in the backyard of his Brooklyn home, Jordan Silbert was repulsed by the overly sweet, sticky, and unpleasant taste the tonic water left in his mouth. A little investigating and he discovered that the bottles of tonic water they were consuming contained not only 32 grams of high fructose syrup, artificial flavors, and artificial preservatives. A friend was drinking Sprite. A quick look at both bottles showed Jordan there was little difference in ingredients between Sprite and tonic water.
Not wanting to mix great gin with crummy tonic water, Jordan became obsessed with creating a wonderful tonic water—a task that took four years of work in his kitchen. But the result was the spectacular Q Tonic Water.
File this under if you make a great product people will find a way to your door, but immediately Jordan’s products were being written up in media stories and restaurants and bars were demanding the product which he and his dad delivered throughout New York.
Then, the next obsession hit him, with Jordan wanting to create mixes equally as good as his Q Tonic Waters. “For each Q drink I agonize like I did with Q Tonic Water,” says Jordan, who founded Q Mixers. “I source the absolute best ingredients I can find and then tinker and tinker with the recipe until I come up with something I love. Something spectacular.”
Taste it and you’ll know what he’s talking about.
The Drinks.
Traditional Moscow Mule
Ingredients
5 oz Q Mixers Ginger Beer (can substitute Hibiscus Ginger Beer or Light Ginger Beer)
1.5 oz Premium Vodka
0.5 oz lime juice
Fill a highball glass or copper mug with ice. Pour in your favorite vodka and squeeze in the lime juice, leaving the lime shell in the glass. Then pour in the Q Mixers Ginger Beer (or other variation) and gently stir.
Tony’s Festive Mule
1½ oz Tito’s Vodka
1½ oz Fresh Lime Juice
1½ oz Spiced Cranberry-Orange Syrup
4 oz Q Mixers Ginger Beer
Cranberry-orange syrup: Combine 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of cranberry juice, peel from 1 orange, cinnamon stick, and two cloves in a small saucepan and simmer for twenty minutes. Let the mixture cool and strain into an empty bottle.
In a shaker add vodka, lime juice, and syrup; shake with ice. Strain into an ice-filled highball glass. Top with chilled Q Ginger Beer. Garnish with a powdered sugar sprig of mint.
CUBA LIBRE
So much more than the rum and coke you’ve had in the past. In the Cuba Libre, the addition of lime pairs incredibly well with rum and brings out the nuanced flavors of kola for delicious drink that’s surprisingly complex yet easy to make.
1½ oz Premium Rum
5 oz Q Kola
2 Lime Wedges
Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour in the rum and squeeze in a lime. Then pour in the Q Kola. Gently stir and garnish with the other lime wedge.
If you have some cocktail bitters this is a great drink to experiment with. Add a few drops for some extra depth and bring out some savory flavors.
DARK & STORMY
A cousin of the Moscow Mule, the Dark and Stormy pairs spicy ginger beer with dark rum. When prepared in the traditional way, the rum floats to the top and the drink lives up to its infamous name.
1½ oz Goslings Dark Rum
5 oz Q Ginger Beer
½ oz Lime Juice
Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour in the Q Ginger Beer and squeeze in the lime. Top with the rum so it floats on the top, looking like a dark storm cloud that will force you to stay at the bar all afternoon.
Though right now I can’t even travel to Chicago to do some holiday shopping because of the pandemic, I did manage a trip to Southwest German to visit several of their beautiful Christkindlesmarkt (Christmas Markets) and take a holiday cookie making class.
Well, kind of. The trip was a virtual cooking class and I’ve been doing a lot of those lately. It is, of course, nowhere close to being there but still when you get to the point where going to the grocery store becomes a big adventure, it’s really a great way to explore—and plan for the time when we might be able to journey again.
And even though the holiday is long past, making the cookies and thinking of the beauty of the Christkindlesmarkts is a fine thing to do in gloomy February when all the excitement leading up to Christmas is long past and winter seems forever.
Southwest Germany is comprised for the most part of the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg and is bordered on the west by France, Switzerland to the south, Bavaria to the east and Hesse to the north. It encompasses the Black Forest, large cities like Heidelberg, Baden-Baden and Stuttgart and a plethora of towns and villages that are so neatly kept and so very beautiful like Schwetzingen where there’s the Schwetzingen Palace & Gardens and Wiblingen, the home to an 11th century abbey. One thing you quickly realize about Germany is that almost every village no matter how small has a castle. And abbeys and monasteries dating back a millennium are common. New to them is anything built less than 400 years ago.
Before COVID-19, late November and December is the time for the fantastic Christmas markets that have been part of the German holiday season since the 1300s. But of course, this is the age of COVID-19, so not only is my cooking class virtual but so are my visits to the Christmas markets. One plus, I save a lot of money by not being able to actually shop.
Wendy Jo Peterson who, between military moves and following her husband’s career around the world, racked up a lot of miles working with children and adults across the spectrum from populations with special needs to elite athletes. Culinary nutrition and reaching optimal wellness through the foods we eat is one of her main drivers and she’s clocked in a lot of hours teaching, at hospital, working a computer and presenting the latest in nutritional science. When she lived in Stuttgart, Peterson immersed herself in cooking traditions and techniques and is bringing all that to our virtual classroom.
We can either cook along with Peterson or just watch and I’ve decided I want to cook along with.
To save time, Peterson has prepared her dough ahead of the class and so did those of us who are going to be cooking with her. Our first cookie is a yeast dough shaped into the form of the little tan man, known In North Baden and the Electoral Palatinate, as Dambedei, in South Baden as Grätti or Baselmann and in other regions as Weck or Klausenmann. I hope I’m not going to be quizzed on the names of the cookies because I just won’t be able to do it.
But no matter the name, Dambedei’s instantly recognizable to children—and adults—because of his characteristic appearances. All little tan men have a pointed head, raisin eyes, almond mouth and a button jacket made of nuts.
Dambedei’s origins go back to when people were excluded for whatever reason from worshipping in the church on Bishop Nikolaus von Myra’s remembrance day. Instead the blessed bread is served to them in the shape of a man.
“The other cookies we’ll be making are Spitzbuben, also known as Hildabrötchen which are named after the Grand Duchess Hilda von Nassau, the last Grand Duchess of Baden,” says Peterson. “Supposedly, the popular Grand Duchess enjoyed eating Hilda rolls and often baked them herself. She was buried at the side of her husband, Grand Duke Friedrich II in the grand ducal grave chapel in Karlsruhe. Her ornate coffin can be viewed there.”
We’re also will make Hutzelbrot. If we were in Germany, we’d use dried Hutzel pears but alas I’ll be using the dried pears sold in the grocery store. The term hutzelig in Swabia translates into wrinkled and that also describes the fruit. As for Swabia, it’s a historic region in southwest Germany. Someone a long time ago told me a Swabian joke. It isn’t very funny but it’s the only one I’ve ever heard. I tell it to the class, but they don’t think it’s funny at all.
Baden-Baden
We also have recipes for Springerle and Lebkuchen so if I do all the cooking, I’ll have a great assortment of German cookies.
Spitzbuben or Hildabrötchen
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup of cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/3 cups of flour
½ cup of raspberry jam for the center
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Cream together sugar and butter. Add vanilla extract and egg until combined. Add flour to form a dough. Shape the dough into a ball and wrap or cover well and put in the fridge for about an hour. Preheat the oven to 325° F.
Roll out the dough very thinly and cut into circles. Then cut out the shape you like in every other cookie. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden. Cool. Heat the jam, spread over the cookies without cutouts, then place the cutout half on top of the cookie with the jam. Dust with powdered sugar.
Springerle
4 eggs
2 ¼ cups powdered sugar
2 ¼ cup white wheat flour
1 tablespoon of whole anise seed or, if you want, substitute with gingerbread, cardamom, or ginger
Lightly toast the anise beforehand in a pan and then mix it into the batter. This treatment dissolves the essential oils and unfolds its full taste.
All ingredients are placed in a warm room for several hours before starting.
Beat the eggs until frothy, then add the sifted powdered sugar and the tablespoon of anise seed.
Stir this mixture in the food processor for at least 10 minutes.
Then stir in the sifted flour, one tablespoon at a time.
The dough is now a bit soft and needs to rest to have time to shape.
Put the dough in a bowl with a tightly fitting lid and covered with cling wrap, leave to rest in the refrigerator for at least 12-24 hours.
When you are ready to make the cookies, you cut off a small portion of the dough and immediately cover the rest of the dough again, otherwise it will dry out.
Roll out the dough on the floured baking board 8-10 mm thick. Press the Springerle mold into the lightly powdered dough and cut out the springerle with a dough scraper, pastry wheel or a cookie cutter.
Place the springerle on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil and leave to dry for 24 hours in a warm place.
Preheat the oven to 285 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the Springerle for approx. 15-18 minutes.
After baking, let the springerle cool, remove from the aluminum foil and store in a cardboard box in a damp place.
Hutzelbrot
2/3 cup each of dried pears plums and figs
¼ cup dried apricots
½ cup raisins
1 1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts or chopped almonds
1 tablespoons anise seeds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 cups rye flour
1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 teaspoons baking powder
6 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2 to 4 teaspoons of vanilla
Soak the dried plums, pears, and figs in water overnight or 8 to12 hours. Drain the fruit and roughly chop it. Finely dice the dried apricots. Put all the fruit with raisins, hazelnuts and almonds in a bowl, season with aniseed, cinnamon and cloves, drizzle with lemon juice and mix well.
Mix the flours with baking powder. Beat the eggs with the sugar until frothy. Add the vanilla extract and the fruit and nut mixture. Finally, gradually knead in the flour mixture and knead the mixture well.
Shape the dough into two loaves of bread. Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 70-80 minutes. After baking, let cool on a wire rack.
Dambedei
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
Ground lemon peel
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons honey
1 packet (2 ¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tbsp canola oil
1 egg yolk
Raisins
Mix wheat flour with lemon zest in a bowl. Warm the milk slightly, add honey and fresh yeast and stir. Add vanilla to the milk and add, along with the canola oil to the flour and mix to form a soft dough, about 5 minutes. Let the dough rise to double its volume in a warm place, knead again by hand and roll out to1/3 of an inch thick.
Cut out 4 Dambedeis each eight inches long, place on two baking sheets lined with baking paper and brush with the egg yolk. Press the golden raisins into the dough as eyes and jacket buttons. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 12 minutes at 395° Fahrenheit.
Lebkuchen
If I get the chance I want to follow the Lebkuchen trail that runs through the Black Forest. Until then, I’ll have to settle for making them at home.
¾ cup honey
2 cups cane sugar
1 cup orange candied peel
¾ cup lemon candied peel
2/3 cup raisins
1 cup + 2 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts
5 cups whole meal rye flour
2 ½ cups whole meal spelt flour (can substitute whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons of baking soda
4 to 5 teaspoons gingerbread spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves (ground)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
4 large eggs
6 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon butter
Juice and zest of an organic lemon
For painting: 2 egg yolks, 3 tbsp milk
For decorating and cutting: whole peeled almonds and cookie cutters
The day before, heat the honey and cane sugar in a saucepan while stirring. Finely chop the orange peel, lemon peel, raisins, and hazelnuts.
Mix rye and whole meal spelt flour, baking soda, gingerbread spice, cinnamon, ground cloves, cocoa powder and the finely chopped orange peel, lemon peel, raisins, and finely chopped hazelnuts in a bowl. Knead the heated honey with cane sugar, softened butter, lemon zest, juice, and eggs with the flour mixture until it is a very firm, brown dough.
Shape the dough into an elongated roll and let rest in a cold room overnight, in an airtight container.
Preheat the oven to 320° F and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Knead the dough well, roll it out on a floured work surface to approximately ¼-inch thick, cut out the gingerbread and place on the prepared baking sheet.
Mix the egg yolk and milk, brush the gingerbread cookies with the egg yolk and milk mixture, decorate with an almond and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.
Place the baked gingerbread cookies on a wire rack to cool, then store in a tin or container. The longer they are stored, for approximately one to two weeks, the better they are.
From the book: “The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook offers one hundred easy recipes for the best of Disney’s magical cuisine. Whether you’ve been to the parks a hundred times and are craving your favorite Disney dishes, or you’re just looking for something Disney-inspired to make you feel like you’re on vacation, each recipe has been thoroughly tested to ensure a taste worthy of a certain mouse. The recipes are also organized based on the Disney Park where each one is featured, beginning with the first park to open, Disneyland, and ending with the newest park, Disney California Adventure.“
Ashley Craft from Ashleycrafted.
Craft grew up so close to Disney World that she fell asleep each night listening to the music coming from the park. She later worked there and about three years ago started her blog https://ashleycrafted.com/
Organized by parks, Craft’s recipes include dishes from Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney California Adventure. She opens each of her chapters with the park intro, the types of dishes you’ll find and a map so that you can actually located them.
A bestseller on both The Wall Street Journal Bestseller and USA TODAY Bestseller lists, the book is published by Adams Media ($14.99 Amazon price).
4 cups plus 1 tablespoon room-temperature water, divided
1⁄4 cup baking soda
1 large egg
4 teaspoons Kosher salt
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add warm water and sprinkle yeast on top. Let sit 10 minutes.
Add brown sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Using the flat beater attachment, beat on low speed to combine. Mix in flour. Switch to dough hook attachment and knead 5 minutes. Dough should be smooth and elastic.
Remove dough and spray bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Return dough to bowl. Cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm place 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a large ungreased baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large pot over high heat, bring 4 cups water to a boil.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut dough into eight equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll dough into a rough heart shape. Using a sharp knife, lightly score or scrape the Mickey shape into the dough. Once you’ve achieved your desired shape, cut all the way through the dough.
Add baking soda to pot of boiling water. Working with one Mickey at a time, use a big, flat spatula to carefully lift a dough Mickey into baking-soda bath, and poach 15 seconds. Remove to prepared baking sheet.
In a small bowl, mix together egg and remaining 1 tablespoon water. Brush onto Mickeys. Sprinkle remaining salt over pretzels.
Bake until deep golden brown, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
Disney Parks have sold cinnamon rolls for a long time—regular, boring-sized cinnamon rolls. But in 2012, they upped their cinnamon roll game when they introduced the Warm Cinnamon Roll to their line-up. It is about 8″ square in size and is smothered in frosting and butterscotch topping. It is perfectly made for the man who eats five dozen eggs each day—or your whole family!
SERVES 8
For Dough
3⁄4 cup salted butter, melted, divided
1 1⁄2 cups whole milk
6 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 (1⁄4-ounce) packets active dry yeast
1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup room-temperature water
2 large eggs
Grease a 9″×13″ pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.To make the Dough: In a medium bowl, combine 1⁄2 cup melted butter and milk.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add 2 1⁄2 cups flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add water, eggs, and butter mixture. Using the flat beater attachment, mix until well combined. Add remaining flour 1⁄2 cup at a time while mixing until Dough starts to form a ball.
Switch to the dough hook attachment and knead Dough on low speed 5 minutes.
Remove Dough from bowl, sprinkle some flour in bowl, and place Dough back in the same bowl. Let rise 10 minutes in a warm place.
For Filling
2 cups light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 cup salted butter, softened
To make Filling: In a medium bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter together. Set aside.
Roll out Dough into a long rectangle, about 3′ × 2′. Spread Filling evenly across the whole surface of the Dough. Starting at short end, roll Dough like a jelly roll. Make a cut in the center of the roll, and then cut about 6″ from the center on either side to make 2 giant rolls.
Place both rolls swirl-edge down in prepared pan.
Drizzle remaining 1⁄4 cup melted butter over rolls. Allow rolls to rise at room temperature 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375˚F. Bake rolls 20 minutes, then cover loosely with foil and bake another 10 minutes.
For Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese
1⁄4 cup salted butter, softened
2 cups confectioners’sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons heavy cream
To make Cream Cheese Frosting: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add cream cheese and butter. Combine and heat until melted, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in confectioners’ sugar. Add vanilla, cream, and salt. Stir, then set aside.
For Butterscotch Topping
1⁄2 cup light brown sugar
4 tablespoons salted butter, softened
1⁄2 cup heavy cream
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To make Butterscotch Topping: In a separate medium saucepan over medium heat, add brown sugar, butter, and cream. Bring to a boil and boil 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Add salt and vanilla. Set aside.
To serve, place each giant roll on a large plate. Drizzle cream cheese frosting in one direction along each roll’s swirl, then drizzle with butterscotch in the other direction.
COOKING TIP
The dough leftover on either end of the giant rolls need not be wasted! Make cuts about 1–2 inches along the extra roll. Lay swirl-side down in a glass 9” x 13” baking dish greased with cooking spray and bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
This delicious and refreshing Mexican treat sure helps beat the heat on a California summer day. The mix of salty, spicy, and sweet is so satisfying. Actually, a recent study found that adding salt to a sweet treat helps release the sugar flavors and brings out even more of the sweetness!
SERVES 2
1⁄2 cup pineapple juice
1⁄2 cup guava juice
1 cup frozen mango chunks
1⁄2 cup frozen peach chunks
1 whole fresh banana, peeled
4 teaspoons chamoy sauce, divided
1⁄2 cup fresh chopped mango
1⁄2 teaspoon chili-lime seasoning
Combine pineapple juice, guava juice, frozen mango chunks, frozen peach chunks, and banana in a blender and blend until smooth.
Drizzle 1 teaspoon chamoy sauce each inside walls of 2 drinking glasses. Divide smoothie mixture into glasses, add 1⁄4 cup fresh mango to each cup, drizzle another 1 teaspoon chamoy sauce in each glass, and sprinkle 1⁄4 teaspoon chili-lime seasoning on each.
This February is the celebration of Purim, the Jewish holiday honoring Queen Esther of Persia who in 5th century BCE stopped the massacre of the Hebrew population by acknowledging to her husband, King Xerxes that she was Jewish and asking him to save her people.
Luckily she had beauty and youth on her side and the King still liked her because she’s credited with stopping the planned entire massacre of Jews.
Thus Purim is a happy holiday and part of the celebration is eating such traditional foods as hamantaschen, a triangular shaped pastry typically filled with fruit, large rounds of braided challah bread said to be a reminder of the rope used to hang Haman, the King’s grand vizier or as we would say these days, advisor, who came up with the idea of the executions.
Jewish cookbook author Leah Koenig shares recipes commonly eaten during Purim as well as other desserts in “Little Book of Jewish Sweets.” But Koenig isn’t afraid to jazz up old recipes, a type of reinvention of Jewish foods. The author of six cookbooks including “Modern Jewish Cooking: Recipes & Customs for Today’s Kitchen” and her Little Book series, her recipe for challah (which by the way is available at Bit of Swiss Bakery on certain days of the week), becomes a bread pudding with raspberries and chocolate
“From breadcrumbs and grilled cheese sandwiches to French toast, there are many ways to transform leftover challah into something new—a luscious bread pudding studded with chocolate and juicy raspberries is a particularly delicious one,” she writes in her introduction to the recipe. “Challah has a soft and tender crust, which means there is no need to remove it before tossing the bread into the custard.”
With baklava, the classis Middle Eastern and Greek dessert of phyllo dough layered with walnuts and honey, she goes beyond the typical by adding figs, making, in her words, a confection that is at once familiar and new.
Koenig does the same for hamantaschens by adding a touch of lemon zest and cinnamon to an apricot and walnut base.
Over the years as she’s researched her cookbooks, Koenig says she came to realize how global Jewish cuisine is.
‘Jews have lived and cooked pretty much everywhere in the world, maybe barring Antarctica,” she says. “So really the inspiration behind the book was to try to capture how Jews eat today across the world and capture a little bit of the history of how Jews used to eat.”
Apricot-Walnut Hamantaschen
Makes about 3 dozen cookies
Dough
21/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter or nonhydrogenated margarine, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Water, as needed (optional)
Filling
3/4 cup apricot jam
11/2 cups walnut halves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp kosher salt
Make the dough: Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.
In a stand mixer or with a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat to fully combine. Add the flour mixture in three additions, beating on low speed and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until a firm but pliable dough comes together. If the dough looks too dry, add water, 1 tsp at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. If the dough looks too wet, add additional flour, 1 Tbsp at a time. Knead the dough a few times in the bowl to bring it together, then form into a flat disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.
Make the filling: Place the jam, walnuts, cinnamon, lemon zest, and salt in a food processor and pulse, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until a chunky paste forms. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350° and line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove half of the dough from the fridge (keep the other half wrapped and chilled). On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough until it’s 1/4 inch thick. Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter or glass, cut out as many circles as possible and carefully transfer them to the prepared baking sheets. Gather the dough scraps, reroll the dough, and cut out additional circles.
Spoon 1 rounded teaspoon of apricot-walnut filling into the center of each dough circle. Fold the left side over on an angle, followed by the right side. Fold the bottom flap up, tucking one end under the side flap to make a pocket (the filling should still be visible in the center); pinch the corners firmly to seal. Repeat the rolling and filling process with the remaining dough.
Bake the cookies until lightly golden and browned at the corners, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the oven. Set the baking sheets on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to the wire racks to cool completely. Serve at room temperature. Store covered in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Challah Bread Pudding with Raspberries and Chocolate
Serves 8 to 10
8 oz challah, cut into 1-in cubes
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
11/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 cup fresh or thawed frozen raspberries
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Confectioners’ sugar for serving
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 2-qquart baking dish. Spread the cubed challah in a single layer on a large-rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring once or twice, until toasted and dry, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl. Layer half of the bread into the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle evenly with half of the raspberries and half of the chocolate chips. Top with the remaining bread, raspberries, and chocolate chips. Pour the cream mixture over the top, gently pressing down the bread to encourage soaking. Cover the dish with a kitchen towel and let stand for 30 minutes to allow the custard to soak into the bread. Check that the oven is still set to 350°F.
Bake until puffed and golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. If the top is browning too quickly, loosely drape a piece of aluminum foil over the dish partway through baking. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve the pudding warm or at room temperature, dusted lightly with confectioners’ sugar. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Fig Baklava
Serves 8
Baklava
1 pound walnut halves
1 1/2 cups dried mission figs, stemmed and coarsely chopped
2 tbsp light brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1-lb package frozen phyllo dough, thawed
1 cup unsalted butter, melted, or coconut oil or vegetable oil
Syrup
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup honey
1 cinnamon stick
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp rose water
Make the baklava: Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9-by-13-in baking dish. Place the walnuts, figs, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor, and mix until the walnuts and figs are finely ground.
If necessary, trim the phyllo to fit the baking dish, then place on a flat cutting board and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Fit one sheet of phyllo in the bottom of the baking dish and generously brush with melted butter. Repeat seven times, brushing with butter after each layer to make a stack of 8 phyllo sheets. Spoon half of the nut and fig mixture over the phyllo and spread evenly. Repeat the process with 4 more phyllo sheets, brushing with butter between each layer. Spread the remaining nut and fig mixture over the top and repeat the process with 8 more phyllo sheets.
Bake until the top is lightly golden and crisp, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then use a sharp knife to cut the baklava into squares or diamonds in the pan.
Meanwhile, make the syrup: Stir together the granulated sugar, water, honey, and cinnamon stick in a medium saucepan, and set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until the syrup thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and rose water. Let cool slightly. Discard the cinnamon stick.
Carefully spoon the warm syrup over the slightly cooled and cut baklava, taking care to pour syrup along the cut lines. Let the baklava sit for at least 2 hours before serving to allow the syrup to soften the filling. Serve at room temperature. Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.
The above recipes are reprinted from Little Book of Jewish Sweets by Leah Koenig with permission by Chronicle Books, 2019.
The idea came about, she says, after being cooped up way too long in her one-bedroom apartment in New York City.
“I had a lot of extra time on my hands,” she says. “So I decided to transform some of my favorite dishes into soup versions of themselves while still making sure the essence of the original dishes stayed intact.”
As an added plus, Di Pietro makes these recipes even more user friendly by including ideas on substitutions, reheating, storing, and product information. For example, if you’re unable to find chipotle powder for her Mexican Street Corn Soup try smoked paprika instead and for a different taste or low-calorie switch when making her Lasagna Soup, Italian pork sausage without the casing or ground turkey are good alternatives.
Mexican Street Corn Soup
The following recipes are from SOUPified.
Twice Baked Potato Soup with Bacon
2 ounces bacon cut into ½-inch strips while raw
2 cups diced yellow onion (about 1 medium onion)
1 cup chopped green onions (about 4 onions)
¼ cup chopped garlic (9 to 10 cloves)
¼ cup all-purpose four
3 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and diced (peels reserved for Crispy Potato Skins), held in cold water to prevent browning
3 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1 cup sour cream
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded or cut into very small pieces
½ cup finely chopped chives
1 recipe Crispy Potato Skins (recipe below)
Peel potatoes, then prepare Crispy Potato Skins and set aside.
Place bacon in 6-quart (or larger) pot or Dutch over medium heat. Slowly cook it until it becomes crispy and most of the fat has been rendered. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set it aside to drain on paper towels.
Remove all but about 3 tablespoons of rendered fat from the pot and use for other purpose or discard. Leave enough fat to cover bottom of pot.
Add onions and garlic and cook for about 4 minutes, or until onions have softened a bit, stirring occasionally.
Sprinkle four on top of onion mixture; stir to coat and continue stirring for 1 to 2 minutes while four cooks. Gradually pour in 2 cups broth and whisk mixture quickly to fully incorporate four into liquid until smooth.
Then stir to loosen and scrape up any browned bits on bottom of pot.
Add remaining broth, potatoes (drain first if being held in water), milk, salt, paprika, and black and cayenne peppers. Stir until all ingredients are well combined. Cover pot and bring mixture to a simmer. Simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, stirring frequently. This could take 20 to 30 minutes. Do not boil soup once milk is added to prevent curdling.
Reduce heat to low. Then partially purée mixture using an immersion blender. Be sure to leave some bigger chunks as this results in a great, chunky texture. Gradually stir in sour cream, then cheese, 1 cup at a time, ensuring each cup has melted before adding the next. Finish by stirring in chives and about ¾ of reserved crispy bacon. Then turn off heat.
Ladle soup into bowls and top with Crispy Potato Skins and remaining bacon.
Crispy Potato Skins
¼ to ½ cup olive oil or as needed
Potato peels from all peeled potatoes in main soup recipe
Pinch salt
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Once oil starts to spread out and glisten, add potato peels and fry them until crispy. Use tongs to turn over peels while frying. When peels are brown and crispy, remove them immediately with a slotted spoon and transfer them to paper towels to drain.
Sprinkle them with salt immediately.
Set aside, uncovered, at room temperature. You can make these potato skins 3 to 4 hours in advance and hold them, uncovered, at room temperature.
Lasagna Soup
Serves 6 to 8
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound lean ground beef (90/10 is perfect)
2 cups diced yellow onion (about 1 medium onion)
1 cup lightly packed, chopped fresh basil leaves, divided
¼ cup chopped garlic (9 to 10 cloves)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ cup tomato paste
6 cups low-sodium beef or chicken broth
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes crushed into small pieces by hand
2 teaspoons dried basil
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
8 lasagna sheets, broken into 1-2” random pieces (9 ounces)
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 6-quart (or larger) pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef, onions, ½ cup basil, garlic, and spices. Cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until all the beef has browned. Break it up into bite-sized pieces while stirring.
Move beef mixture to one side of pot. Then add tomato paste and cook it for about 30 seconds. Add 2 cups broth and stir to loosen and scrape up any browned bits on bottom of pot.
Add remaining broth, tomatoes, and dried herbs and stir until all ingredients are well combined. Cover pot and bring mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer, partially covered, for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until vegetables have mostly softened. Add pasta and remaining 1 tablespoon oil and stir well.
Simmer, uncovered, until pasta is al dente, using instructions on pasta package as a guideline, stirring continuously so that pasta doesn’t stick or get clumpy. Taste pasta along the way to monitor its doneness.
Once pasta is al dente, reduce heat to low. Then whisk in cream and spinach and cook for another 2 minutes while stirring. Add additional liquid if you want a brothier soup. Stir in remaining ½ cup basil, then turn off heat.
Ladle soup into bowls and top with a generous scoop of Cheese Topping. The cheese will melt once you stir it into the hot soup.
Cheese Topping
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces)
1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Mix all topping ingredients together until well combined.
You can make this 2 to 3 days in advance and hold it in the refrigerator. Bring this mixture to room temperature about 30 minutes before serving the soup.
Mexican Street Corn Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 ears of fresh corn, kernels cut off cob
and silk removed (about 4 cups kernels),
stripped corncobs reserved for broth
2 cups diced yellow onions (about
1 medium onion)
1 cup diced celery (about 3 to 4 ribs)
1 poblano pepper, seeded, stemmed, and finely chopped
¼ cup chopped garlic (9 to 10 cloves)
3 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
3 cups whole milk
1 pound Yukon gold or other waxy potatoes cut into 1-inch pieces, held in cold water to prevent browning
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt
1½ teaspoons dried Mexican or regular
oregano
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup crumbled cotija or feta cheese
1 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
½ cup fresh lime juice (zest limes first)
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon lime zest
Brown corn: Heat oil and butter in 6-quart (or larger) pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. When butter has melted, add corn kernels and cook until they start to brown (about 5 to 7 minutes), stirring occasionally. Do this in batches if necessary. Then remove about ²/³ of corn with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add onions, celery, poblano pepper, and garlic. Cook for about 4 minutes, or until vegetables have softened, stirring occasionally. Add broth and stir to loosen and scrape up any browned bits on bottom of pot.
Add milk, potatoes (drain first if being held in water), bay leaves, salt, oregano, chili powders, black pepper, and reserved corncobs.
Stir until all ingredients are well combined. Cover pot and bring mixture to a simmer. Then partially cover and lightly simmer soup until potatoes are tender, stirring frequently (about 20 to 30 minutes).
Remove and discard cobs and bay leaves. Reduce heat to low. Then carefully purée mixture until smooth using an immersion blender. Only partially purée soup if you prefer a chunkier version.
Add cheese, crema or sour cream, lime juice, cilantro, lime zest, and most of reserved sautéed corn kernels, reserving some to use as topping. Stir until all ingredients are well combined. Turn off heat. Do not boil soup once crema or sour cream is added to prevent curdling.
Ladle soup into bowls and top with remaining cooked corn kernels.
Growing up in Tahoe City, a one stoplight town in California’s High Sierra Mountains, Lindsay Navama yearned for the big city life. Los Angeles offered just that, and she was happy there in her career as a recipe developer, personal chef, and owner of Cookie Culture, a boutique bakery.
Lake Life Cranberry Limeade Cosmo
But when she and her husband, David, moved to Chicago for work, Navama felt unmoored and wondered what to do next in her life.
Lured by articles about the wonders of Harbor Country, the swath of countryside starting at the state line and curving north along Lake Michigan to Sawyer, Michigan, the couple decided to check it out.
Unfortunately, upon arrival the two were totally underwhelmed.
“We heard people call it the ‘Hamptons of the Midwest but we thought is this it?” says Navama.
The two didn’t return for several years, but when they did—they both experienced what she describes as the region’s magic. It was more than just the beautiful beaches, the eight quaint small towns each unique in its own way, lush farmlands, orchards, rivers, and woods, there was also an appealing vibe. Each visit brought new discoveries– an estate winery, a fun delicatessen that became like a second home, a Swedish bakery that first opened for business in 1912–and new friends.
Wanting to spend more time there, the couple moved into a small place in New Buffalo and dubbed it “Camp Navama.” There Navama cooked and entertained, developing her own recipes and tweaking them when needed to feed friends on gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, keto, paleo, and other diets. She learned the rhythms of the land and seasons such as when deep blue Concord grapes were peaking at Dinges’ Farm in Three Oaks or when an order of fresh caught sturgeon arrived at Rachel Collins’ Flagship Specialty Foods and Fish Market in Lakeside.
Buffalo Cauliflower
In ways it was a convergence of Navama’s experiences growing up in the High Sierras and adulthood in the ever-so-hip L.A. food and cultural scene. Navama identified with many Harbor Country residents who moved to or had second homes in the area and brought that big city sensibility with them when it came to art, food, entertaining but appreciated a more rural way of living and a lot less concrete.
Navama no longer felt lost and instead saw the direction her life should take.
“I wanted to preserve those memories, great meals, and good times in Mason jars,” she says.
A great cookbook with 50 recipes and photos by Gabrielle Sukich of Benton Harbor, it’s also a travel guide with small maps, listings of restaurants, wineries, intriguing hideaways, and everything else the area has to offer.
“I never saw myself as living any other place than California and here I am in a tiny town in the Midwest,” she says. “And I’m beyond grateful it happened.”
Whistle Stop Asian Noodle Salad
4–6 servings
Contributed by Whistle Stop Grocery and Chef Eva Frahm
1 pound angel hair or capellini pasta
5 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
¼ cup plus ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
¾ cup hoisin sauce, divided
1 medium red bell pepper
1 medium yellow bell pepper
¼ cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon garlic chili sauce
Sriracha, to taste (optional)
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves, chopped
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the pasta water, if desired. Add the angel hair and cook 7 to 8 minutes until just al dente, so the noodles are still slightly firm and not overcooked. Drain into a colander, rinse gently with cold water, let drain again, then place in a large bowl. Set aside.
In a skillet over medium heat, sauté the mushrooms in ¼ cup of the olive oil for about 7 minutes, or until lightly browned. Season with ⅛ teaspoon of the salt and ⅛ teaspoon of the pepper. Remove from the heat and add 2 tablespoons of the hoisin sauce. Stir to coat and set aside.
Julienne the bell peppers by cutting them into ⅛-inch-thick strips. Set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining 10 tablespoons hoisin sauce, the remaining ⅓ cup olive oil, the rice vinegar, the garlic chili sauce, and the Sriracha (if using). Set aside.
Add the mushrooms, peppers, scallions, cilantro, and sauce mixture to the noodles. Toss gently to incorporate. Season to taste with the remaining salt and the remaining pepper and transfer to a serving bowl or store covered in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days.
Lake Life Cranberry Limeade Cosmo
1 serving
3 ounces favorite vodka
1 ounce triple sec
2 ounces cranberry juice cocktail
3 tablespoons limeade concentrate, thawed
a cocktail shaker and martini glass in the freezer for about 20 minutes.
Add the vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice, and limeade concentrate to the chilled cocktail shaker. Shake your booty while you shake your Cosmo for about 10 seconds, because why not?!
“The global pandemic caught the world off guard, at the same time forcing people to seek out things that represent familiarity and security,” says Lukas Pereckas, Blue Oceans P.R . “That is why some are even proclaiming that 2020 is the Renaissance of comfort food because of its ability to soothe the nerves and provide psychological comfort.”
Cooking at home is a great outlet to release pent up energy, indulge our creativity, and bring new flavors and tastes ot our meals, but after awhile experiencing with the culinary options from other countries can help tamper our hanking for travel while helping us explore the world outside our door.
The interior of Šiauliai Cathedral looking east in Šiauliai, Lithuania. Photo courtesy of DAVID ILIFF. Wikimedia Commons.
“There has never been a better time to see what other nations bring to the table as comfort food,” he says, noting that one of the least known cuisines of Eastern Europe, Lithuanian foods are just now gaining popularity as more and more travelers experience the flavors of this old world cookery. “What better way to see where your travels will take you in the future then by enjoying the tastes of Lithuanian at home.”
Seven Lithuanian Feel-Good Dishes Worth Trying
“For tourists, asking where the Lithuanian food comes from, I always say that the majority of the ingredients come from the province, yet Lithuanian culinary heritage is multicultural, as all nations that once resided in Lithuania contributed something of their own to the Lithuanian gastronomic peculiarities,” says Ieva Pikžirnytė, Lithuanian food guide, coffee and taste training expert.
Nerijus Paluckas_Zagarelia
Lithuanian foods are also heavily influenced by other ethnic cuisines such as Jewish, Polish, Ukrainian, Tartar, Russian, and Karaite which over the centuries have been adapted with tradition Lithuanian ingredients , cooking techniques, and flavors.
“Tourists are usually most fascinated by our hash browns and stuffed cabbage. A lot depends on the season as well. For example, in cold weather they prefer mushroom soup and potato dumplings (cepelinai),” says Pikžirnytė who shares shares a list of Lithuanian comfort dishes most liked by by locals and visitors alike.
Potato Pie @ Beatos Virtuve
Filling Potato Pie (Kugelis)
Potatoes have ruled the Lithuanian cuisine for 150 years and most families have a favorite potato dish recipe passed down through generations.
Potato pie or pudding (kugelis), with its crispy exterior and soft consistency inside, is an easy-to-make favorite.
Like the majority of Lithuanian dishes, hash browns or potato pancakes (bulviniai blynai) contain lots of carbs, fat, and salt – all essential ingredients for satisfying our emotions and food cravings. Go ahead and indulge.It’s been a tough year. The recipe can be found here.
Famous Potato Dumplings (Cepelinai)
When it comes to potato dishes, probably the most well-known are potato dumplings (cepelinai) that are filled with a variety of ingredients, some typical such as meat or cheese and some more unique apples, herring or sauerkraut.
Fast Fried Bread@Beatos Virtuve
Fast Fried Bread with Cheese (Kepta duona su sūriu)
One of the most popular snacks in Lithuanian, fried bread quickly becomes a favorite of visitors as well. The treat goes well with a pint of beer and takes little effort to make. All you need is a loaf of rye, 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, cooking oil, a pinch of salt and cheese
Cut the bread in strips, fry in oil until crispy, then rub the garlic onto the hot bread, sprinkle with salt and top with grated cheese. Voila! The perfect hot, filling, cheesy and garlicky –what could be better?
Savoury Pastry Pies (Kibinai)
Crescent-shaped pies of butter pastry stuffed with meat, mushrooms, or vegetables are one of the dishes brought to Lithuania by another nation – Karaites. Around 400 Karaite families were invited to Lithuania by Vytautas, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, from the shores of Black Sea at the end of the 14th century, and those who have made Lithuania their home, added their national dishes to the Lithuanian cuisine, hence – the savory pastry pies. The dish is best devoured in the historical capital of Lithuania – Trakai – where the variety of both savory pastry pies and restaurants serving them is astounding. This recipe is a great way to pass time while planning a trip to try a Lithuanian spin on savory pastry pies the following year.
A national treat, this uncooked cocoa cookie bar, called “lazy cake” by the locals since the recipe requires little effort. calls for minimal to none cooking skills. Just crush a pack of tea biscuits, melt 100 g of butter on medium heat, add a can of sweetened condensed milk and cocoa powder. Mix the ingredients, wrap the mixture in a cling film, shape it as a sausage, chill it in the fridge for several hours and voilà!
Deep-Fried Pastry Strips (Žagarėliai)
These twig-shaped and deep-fried pastry strips made with curd or sour milk provide the same type of feeling of satisfaction that we get biting into a freshly made donut. Quick and easy to make, they’re surely will lighten anyone’s mood. Even better, the recipe is easy to make.
Familiar and comforting flavors with some unusual twists represent a side of Lithuania that is sure to be explored by foodies in years to come. Meanwhile, all eager to experience Lithuanian gastronomic peculiarities can take a look at the Map of Authentic Lithuanian Flavors and make a list for their future explorations of Lithuania.
Pažaislis Monastery, Kaunas, Lithuania.
About Lithuania Travel
Lithuania Travel is a national tourism development agency responsible for Lithuania’s tourism marketing and promotion, acting under the Ministry of Economy and Innovation. Its strategic goal—to raise awareness of Lithuania as an attractive tourism destination and to encourage inbound and domestic travel. The agency closely collaborates with tourism businesses and organizations, presents Lithuanian tourism products, services and experiences on social and digital media, press trips, in international travel exhibitions and B2B events.
